The Observer, April 13, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 24
1-2-1 to provide students with inexpensive Veale alternative
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Case students may soon have an overabundance of places to work out on campus, and no excuse not to get a little exercise in.
1-2-1 Fitness and USG are working together to bring Case students the benefits of a membership in the fitness club without the high monthly fee. 1-2-1 Fitness is owned and operated by Case, and with only 350 undergraduate student members, it is underutilized by the student community.
Currently, a few possibilities are being discussed.
The first includes a full-time membership, possibly with time restrictions during peak hours. This would also require the club to stay open until 1 a.m., giving students plenty of time to get in their workout. The full-time plan will cost students anywhere from $35 to $50, depending on the club's hours. This plan will be mandatory for students, and the cost will be added to tuition, similar to the RTA pass. In a previous student survey, about half of the 200 respondents voted in support of this plan.
Another possibility will allow students access to the club during times that Veale is closed. This includes weekends and evenings until 1 a.m. This supplement program would be an opt-in plan, allowing students to choose whether to pay $10 a month to participate. Myles Nickolich, vice president of student affairs, said that this plan "has potential to provide students with an additional option."
In order to gauge interest in the program, 1-2-1 Fitness is allowing Case students free late night access to the club during the week of April 16 – 20. From 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., there will be special group classes, raffles, and at least one night of chair massages. In addition, Case students will have free access on the weekend of April 21 during regular hours. In order to participate, a student ID is necessary.
Regardless of which plan is finally implemented, 1-2-1 Fitness, voted Cleveland's Best Gym in 2005 by Scene magazine, is an asset to everyone on campus. Bryn Mota, general manager of 1-2-1 Fitness, says that both programs have the potential to improve student life.
"Wellness provides a significant difference in productivity, medical costs, absenteeism, etc. and our goal is to provide wellness services to everyone associated at Case in a time where productivity and health is so important at this university," said Mota.
According to Nickolich, this issue will be finalized by the end of this semester. After the trial period, students will receive another survey to see which program students want most. USG will take this information and recommend a plan to administration, which will have the final say. "We are trying to achieve a positive relationship between students and 1-2-1," Nickolich said.
